Philosophy of Being and Knowledge

Metaphysics (Philosophy of Being)

Theory of Causes

Everything that exists has its causes; nothing appears without a cause. For a thing to come into existence, it requires a convergence of several causes. The philosophical tradition identifies four necessary causes for the emergence of anything. Of these four causes, two become elements of the thing itself and are termed internal causes, while the other two remain external and are termed external causes:

• Internal Causes (causes that become elements of the thing):

✵ Material Cause (causa materialis): This is the substance from which a thing or phenomenon is formed. For example, to create a table, material (wood) is necessary. Once the table is made, this material becomes part of the table; it does not remain external.

✵ Formal Cause (causa formalis): This is the form that the thing must take after its formation. For instance, for a craftsman to make a table, he must not only have the wood but also know what the table should look like, its shape, and dimensions.

• External Causes (causes that remain outside the thing):

✵ Efficient Cause (causa efficiens): This refers to the agent who creates the thing and the technical means of its creation. For a table to exist, it is not enough to have the wood and know its design; a craftsman is needed to actually make it. The craftsman's task, as the efficient cause, is to combine form and matter. For example, the wood (material cause) and the rectangle (formal cause) existed before the carpenter and independently of him. The carpenter's job is to combine form and matter, i.e., to give some part of the matter a particular shape. To make a thing, the craftsman also needs the appropriate tools, which justifies the distinction of two subtypes of the efficient cause:

• Principal Cause (causa principalis): The person who combines matter and form, i.e., the creator, craftsman, or performer. The craftsman is an external cause because he does not become an element of the thing after its creation but always remains outside it.
• Instrumental Cause (causa instrumentalis): The set of technical tools necessary for the craftsman to create the thing. The instrumental cause is also external because the tool does not become an element of the thing after its creation but remains outside it.

✵ Final Cause (causa finalis): This is the purpose for which the thing is created. For example, a craftsman will make a table only if there is a need for it or if he intends to sell it. The final cause is primary among the four causes because its absence can nullify the relevance of the other three causes, while its presence can bring about the other three. For instance, even if someone has wood, knows the design of a table, and can make it, the thought of making the table will not arise if there is no need for it. However, if there is a need for a table, one will make great efforts to acquire the wood, design the table, learn to make it, or find a carpenter who can make it, and eventually obtain the table. Thus, the final cause is the main cause of any thing because nothing arises without it.

These four causes are necessary not only for the emergence of material things but also for any other phenomena. For example, education is achieved when these four causes converge. The material cause of education is the student, who acquires new traits during the learning process. Knowledge, professional skills, and competencies gained during education are the formal cause, as they are new characteristics acquired by the student. The teacher, who imparts knowledge to the student, is the principal efficient cause in shaping an educated person. Textbooks, notes, laboratories, classrooms, libraries, educational institutions, etc., are the instrumental efficient causes of the educational process. However, even the best universities and most brilliant professors cannot teach a student if he lacks the motivation to learn, develop, and gain new knowledge.

Everything that exists is the result of the convergence of these four causes, with the final cause playing the most crucial role. Successful treatment of a patient depends not only on having quality medicine and highly professional doctors but primarily on the patient’s own desire to recover. This is also emphasized by advertising specialists. For a product to be in demand, it requires not only the product, the seller, and the buyer but, most importantly, the buyer's desire to have the product. Formulating the final cause, persuading potential buyers that they need this product or service, is the main task of advertising.

The final cause is the primary criterion for evaluating human actions. In criminology, one of the main criteria for determining a crime is the motive, i.e., the goal the suspect aimed to achieve. Such focus on the motive is based on the belief that no one does anything without a purpose. Thus, without a purpose, there is no action. The task of education is to shape good goals and high values because only these can lead to good actions, motivating people towards high, good, and noble deeds.